1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image display apparatus in which dust and the like are hardly accumulated on a light modulator and which can be reduced in size.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, a liquid crystal projector utilizing a light modulator has been present. As an image display apparatus using this liquid crystal projector, there has been known a system which projects a projection image from the liquid crystal projector onto a screen by a projection lens through a plurality of deflecting mirrors.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-75409 discloses an image display apparatus in which a box member accommodates a reflective light modulator; a color separation/combination optical system which color-separates light emitted from a light source into three primary color lights, then modulates and color-combines these lights by the reflective light modulator to emit image light; a projection lens which leads the image light emitted from the color separation/combination optical system to a screen; first and second deflecting mirrors; and the screen.
In this type of image display apparatus, when dust and the like in air are accumulated on a surface of the reflective light modulator, optical performance of the reflective light modulator deteriorates. Furthermore, there is a problem that reduction in size of the unit is impossible, depending on an arrangement of the color separation/combination optical system or the projection lens.